Acetylene-gas generator.



No. 68l,|66. Patented Aug. 20, mm. a. w. COLLIN.

AOETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

(Application filed Sept. 19, 1900.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shag M I E ll 78 GeorgeWf Collin,

- No.- 681,166. Q Patented Aug. 20,190". a. w. COLLIN.

ACETYLENE GAS GENEBATQR. (Application filed Sept. 19, 1900.) (No Model.)2 Sheets-Shea! 2.

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FFICE.

GEORGE W. C LLIN, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 681,166, dated August20, 1901. Application filed September 19, 1900. Serial No. 30,500. (Nomodel.)

- T wZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. COLLIN, a citizen of theUnited States, anda resident of Bridgeport, inthe county of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOarbid-Feed Mechanism for Acetylene-Gas Machines, of

which the following is a specification.

Myiinvention relates to new and useful improvements in acetylene-gasmachines and 1 refers especially to carbid feed mechanism therefor.

I It is the object of my invention to improve upon said mechanism forthe above purpose by producinga more positive, regular, and desirablefeed, whereby uniform quantities or charges of carbid are successivelyfed from a hopper; further, to devise said mechanism 1 in as compact amanner as possible, and,

finally, to make it substantially automatic in its feeding operation,the same being regulated by the quantity of gas retained within theexpansible tank, which is present in most forms of acetylene gasmachines.

I haveshown my apparatus applied to a i complete but diminutive form ofmachine in the main figures of the drawings, said machine being, asbefore stated, of small design,

. p adapted for portable purposes and especially applicable forilluminating single rooms by the attachment of one or more burners.

it With the above objectsin view myinvention resides and consists in thenovel construction andcombination of parts shown n 335 upon theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, upon whichsimilar characters of reference denote like or corresponding partsthroughout the several figures,and of which-- t Figure 1 shows a sideelevation complete of a portable gas-machine containing therein myimproved carbid feed mechanism. Fig.

2 is a central vertical cross-section of the machine shown in Fig. 1 andillustrates clearly the. feeding apparatus and the mechanism lrequires.

which the water-wash is filled.

with the bell previously described.

generator. Fig. 4 is a detail side view of the feeding mechanism shownin Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 show a central vertical longitudinal sectionand a detailed end elevation, respectively, of the disengaging mechanismof the feeding device employed in Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the characters of reference marked upon thedrawings, A indicates a tank having an inner and outer wall, forming awater seal for the movable bellB. This bell is of the usualconstruction, except that it is provided with a water-wash chamber G inits top and a gas-pipe D to convey the gas from the bell proper intosaid wash, from whence it rises into the space above said body of water.A burner E is shown attached to the top of the bell and leading fromsaid gas-chamber. It will be obvious, however, that suitable piping andseveral burners may be substituted for said burner if occasion Frepresents a cap by means of The interior of the bottom of the tank Amay be provided with a suitable bucket or other receptacle G, which inpractice is filled with water and receives the carbid to be dissolved.From this receptacle the gas rises up through the several parts of themachine, as indicated by the arrows, and emerges under the lower part ofthe bell, from whence it is fed through the water-wash, as beforeexplained.

The carbid-feeding apparatus, as illustrated in Fig. 2, is designed tooperate by means of a windable spring, which latter is automaticallystarted and stopped by connections H indicates a hopper for thereception of lump carbid, and I indicates an opening therefor, by meansof which said carbid is introduced from time to time for consumption.The lower portions of the hopper are substantially conical shaped,terminating in a spout J, having its discharge upon the feed-drum K, thelatter being preferably provided with a toothed serrated face, asindicated. This drum in practice is mounted upon a shaft which may beoperated by pawl, ratchet, and pulley connec-' tions L, with the commonform of movable bel of a gasometer, or there may be employed aworm-and-gear connection M, as shown in Fig. 2, wherein I employ uponthe shaft of said worm a spring N to constitute the driving mechanism. Ialso employ a pawl and ratchet-wheel O to hold said spring in checkexcept when released by the action of the bell. This releasing mechanismcomprises simply a bell-crank lever P, having a slidable link Q attachedto its lower end, which has an inclined or cam surface Q to engage thepawl of the ratchet-wheel in a manner to raise and lower it from saidratchet-wheel by the inward and outward movement of said arm and link,it being apparent that the upper end of he rm Will be engaged by thebell when it descends, thus forcing out the lower end of aid arm in amanner to cause said cam-sun face. to engage and raise the pawl from theratchet, permitting the spring to act and through its connectionsoperate the feeddrum, feedi g the carbid down into the generator-bucketbefore mentioned.

A further and essential feature of my feeding mechanism is the rotatabletoothed regulator R, which is loosely mounted in any suitable way as,for instance, on a bracket S, as shown in Fig, 2, or in swinging arms TT, as HdiQ Qd in. Figs. 3 and 4. This regulator is rotatahly mountedover the feed-drum and in d rect lin of travel of the carbid as it isfed out of the chute. In'practice the teeth of the egula or are engagedby some of the teeth of e (1 7 1 1 in a manner to rotate said regulatonhe pu pose of this regulator is to prevent the carbid from running andto cutout uniform g s from the spout of the hopper, h ch cha g aredeposited in the generator by the movement of the feed-d rum. Theregulator is provided with, large pockets to strada e in te quantity ofcarbid, and should it happ to in isi e unusually large lumps theconstruction is such as will permit of the regulator moving outward,riding over said carbid, passing it down over the feed-drum, and againsettling down to its normal position. There may be any desired number ofthese serrations in the feed-drum, and the. size or shape of them canalso be varied to accommodate the particular size of carbid used.

A feed as herein illustrated and described is foundjto be verydesirable, since the carbid can be handled in given quantities andrelied upon to pass down with each movement of themechanism-and,furthermore, its movementis not liable to become retardedby reason of the sediments from the carbid and gas.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim, and, desire to secureby Letters Pat.- nt, is-

1. In an acetylene-gas generator, the. combination of carbid-feedmechanism comprising a hoppe bearing a chute, a serratedfaced feed-drumat the mouth of said chute, means for driving said drum, connections foran tomaticall y starting and stopping said driving mechanism, and atoothed regulator meshing with the serrations of the feed-drum tooperate upon and cut out given charges of lump carbid from the chute ofthe hopper, and links in which said regulator is yieldably mounted topermit the same to rise, substantially as described.

2. In a carbid-feeding mechanism for gasmachines, the combination with ahopper, of a serrated-faced feed-drum at the mouth of Said hopper, meansfor driving the drum to feed the carbid, connections between saiddriving mechanism and an expansible gasreceiving bell comprising a partof said machine, whereby said driving mechanism is started and stoppedautomatically by the movement of the bell, arotatable toothed regulatormeshing with the serrations of the feed-drum and loosely mounted in theline of travel of said carbid in a manner to retard its flow, and meansto permit said regulator to rise and allow the carbid to passthereunder.

3. A carbid-feed mechanism for a gas-machine, comprising a hopper havinga chute, a serrated-faced drum at the mouth of said chute, means forautomatically operating said drum to feed uniform quantities of carbidfrom said chute, a toothed regulator meshing with said feed-drum andadapted to cut out given quantities of bulk carbid from the hopper, andlinks in which said regulator is yield ably mounted, to permit carbid topass thereunder, substantially as described.

4. A carbid-feed mechanism for gas-machines comprising a hopper adaptedto retain rough carbid and having an exit opening therefrom, a feed-drumat said opening with serrations therein to feed the carbid from thehopper, a. toothed regulator having pockets to operate in conjunctionwith the serrations of the drum and cut out quantities of the serrationsfor the carbid, swinging links in which said regulator is mounted topermit the regulator to be raised from the drum by the reception of anexcessive charge of carbid.

5. In an acetylene-gas, machine, the combination with thegenerating-chamber, an ex pansible bell covering the same, a carbid-hopeper located under said bell and provided with an opening, a serratedfeed-drum atthe mouth of said opening adapted tov receive the carbidfrom the chute and discharge it in the generating-chamber, means foroperating said cylinder, mechanism for automatically start ing andstopping said means by the movement of the bell before mentioned, atoothed carbid-regulator at the mouth of the opening over the chute,meshing with and adapted to operate in conjunction with the feeding-drumto out out and deposit the carbid in uniform charges, and means as shownfor affording an outward yieldable movement of said regulator when thecarbid passes under it.

-6. In a carbid-feeding device for acetylenegas machines, thecombination with a hopper adapted to contain lump carbid and having asuitable chute, of a pair of serrated-faced wheels to separate and allowthe carbid to IO pass thereunder. Signed at Bridgeport, in the county ofFairfielcl and State of Connecticut, this 12th day of September, A. D.1900.

GEORGE W. COLLIN.

Witnesses:

O. M. NEWMAN, HARRIET L. SLAsoN.

